The Hills – English Lyrics

• By: Leonard Cohen
• Album: Thanks for the Dance

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

♪ I can make the hills ♪

♪ The system is shot ♪

♪ I'm living on pills ♪

♪ For which I thank God ♪

♪ My animal howls ♪

♪ My angel's upset ♪

♪ But I'm not allowed ♪

♪ A trace of regret ♪

♪ For someone will use ♪

♪ The thing I could not be ♪

♪ My heart will be hurt ♪

♪ Impersonally ♪

♪ She'll step on the path ♪

♪ She'll see what I mean ♪

♪ My will cut in half ♪

♪ And freedom between ♪

♪ For less than a second ♪

♪ Our lives will collide ♪

♪ The endless suspended ♪

♪ The door open wide ♪

♪ And she will be born ♪

♪ To someone like you ♪

♪ What I left undone ♪

♪ She will certainly do ♪

♪ I know she is coming ♪

♪ And I know she will look ♪

♪ And that is the longing ♪

♪ And this is the hook ♪

♪ I can't make the hills ♪

♪ The system is shot ♪

♪ I'm living on pills ♪

♪ For which I thank God ♪

♪ My page was too white ♪

♪ My ink was too thin ♪

♪ The day wouldn't write ♪

♪ What the night pencilled in ♪

♪ But I know she is coming ♪

♪ And I know she will look ♪

♪ That is the longing ♪

♪ This is the hook ♪

♪ (I know she is coming) ♪

♪ And I know she will look ♪

♪ (That is the longing) ♪

♪ And this is the hook ♪

♪ I can make the hills ♪

♪ The system is shot ♪

♪ I'm living on pills ♪

♪ For which I thank God ♪

♪ I sailed like a swan ♪

♪ I sank like a rock ♪

♪ But time is long gone ♪

♪ Past my laughingstock ♪

♪ And I can make the hills ♪

♪ The system is shot ♪

♪ I'm living on pills ♪

♪ For which I thank God ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hills /hɪlz/ A1	noun - a naturally raised area of land, smaller than a mountain
system /ˈsɪstəm/ B1	noun - a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole
shot /ʃɒt/ B1	adjective - (informal) ruined or broken; no longer working, damaged beyond repair noun - the act of firing a gun or other weapon; a bullet or pellet
pills /pɪlz/ A2	noun - a small, rounded mass of solid medicine for swallowing whole
regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/ B1	noun - a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - cause pain or injury to (a person, animal, or part of the body)
collide /kəˈlaɪd/ B2	verb - hit with force when moving
endless /ˈɛndləs/ B1	adjective - having or seeming to have no end or limit
born /bɔːrn/ A2	verb - existing as a result of birth
undone /ʌnˈdʌn/ B2	adjective - not done or completed
longing /ˈlɒŋɪŋ/ B2	noun - a strong, persistent yearning or desire
hook /hʊk/ B1	noun - a curved piece of metal or other hard material used for catching hold of or hanging things on noun - (informal) a catchy musical phrase or riff in a song; something that attracts attention
white /waɪt/ A1	adjective - of the color of milk or fresh snow
thin /θɪn/ A2	adjective - having a small distance between opposite sides or surfaces; not thick
write /raɪt/ A1	verb - to mark (letters, words, or other symbols) on a surface, typically paper, with a pen, pencil, or similar implement
pencilled /ˈpɛnsəld/ B2	verb - to write or draw with a pencil; to make a provisional arrangement or note
swan /swɒn/ B1	noun - a large waterbird with a long flexible neck, short legs, and webbed feet
sank /sæŋk/ B1	verb - past tense of 'sink': go down below the surface of water, earth, or other liquid or soft matter
laughingstock /ˈlɑːfɪŋstɒk/ C1	noun - a person or thing subjected to general ridicule

Key Grammar Structures

• I can make the hills

  ➔ Modal Verb (can) for Ability

  ➔ The word "can" is used to express ability or possibility. Here, it indicates the speaker's capability to 'make the hills'.

• For which I thank God

  ➔ Relative Pronoun (which) in Non-Defining Clause

  ➔ The relative pronoun "which" refers to the previously mentioned 'pills' and is used in a non-defining clause to add extra information.

• But I'm not allowed a trace of regret

  ➔ Passive Voice with 'be allowed'

  ➔ The phrase 'I'm not allowed' uses the passive voice to emphasize that the action of allowing regret is denied to the speaker.

• My will cut in half

  ➔ Passive Voice with 'be cut'

  ➔ The phrase 'will cut in half' uses the passive voice to describe the action happening to the subject 'my will'.

• And freedom between

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase as Adverbial

  ➔ The prepositional phrase 'between' functions as an adverbial, indicating the location or position of 'freedom'.

• What I left undone

  ➔ Relative Pronoun (what) in Object Clause

  ➔ The relative pronoun 'what' introduces an object clause, referring to the action of leaving something undone.

• That is the longing

  ➔ Emphatic Structure with 'That is'

  ➔ The phrase 'That is' is used to emphasize the following statement, highlighting the nature of 'the longing'.

• The day wouldn't write what the night pencilled in

  ➔ Negative Contraction with 'wouldn't'

  ➔ The contraction 'wouldn't' is used to express a negative action in the past, indicating that the day did not write what the night had pencilled in.